The Paradoxes of the American Presidency - Softcover

Cronin, Thomas E.; Genovese, Michael A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195385284 ISBN 13: 9780195385281

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA, 2009

Synopsis

The historic election of Barack Obama has ushered in a new era of hope and optimism across America. However, can Obama--or any President--live up to the incredibly high expectations that we have of our presidents?
Elegantly written, timely, and easily accessible to students, the third edition of The Paradoxes of the American Presidency considers this crucial question and many more. Two highly esteemed presidential scholars, Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese, explore the complex institution of the American Presidency by presenting a series of paradoxes that shape and define the office. Thoroughly updated and revised to reflect recent political events--from the attacks of 9/11, to the war on terrorism and the controversial eight-year George W. Bush presidency, to the economic meltdown of 2008 and the election of Barack Obama--the third edition incorporates findings from the latest scholarship, the most recent elections and court cases, and relevant survey research.

About this title

About the Author:

Thomas E. Cronin is McHugh Professor of American Institutions and Leadership at Colorado College and President Emeritus at Whitman College. Michael A. Genovese is Loyola Chair of Leadership Studies, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University.

From Kirkus Reviews:

Americans' paradoxical views of the presidency are explored by two political scientists. Cronin (The State of the Presidency, not reviewed, etc.) and Genovese (The Presidential Dilemma, not reviewed, etc.) focus on the contradictory yearning of Americans to have a leader who is both ``one of the people'' and someone far removed from identification with the masses. This paradox is less daunting when the president possesses the political genius and natural affability of a Lincoln or an FDR, but it does pose a problem when, say, someone lacking the common touch, like Richard Nixon, is in office. Less paradoxical perhaps is the issue of the Electoral College, which the authors address and for which they offer a solution: the National Bonus Plan, in which the ``winner takes all'' system would be supplanted by a bonus for the popular vote-winner to ensure that the electoral and popular majorities are never different, as has been the case four times in the nation's history. But while the National Bonus Plan is presented at some length, other approaches to streamlining the presidency are given little consideration, e.g., the six-year, nonrenewable term (labeled ``nonsense'' by the authors) and a move to a more parliamentary style of government in which the president would be subject to no-confidence votes and would therefore be more easily removed in the case of a scandal. Cronin and Genovese, while they present a mass of detail about the presidency and our ideas and expectations concerning it, occasionally weaken their arguments by dismissing too many alternatives without making a solid case against them. Still, their scholarship is thorough, and their book makes good introductory reading on our conflicted feelings about the nation's highest office. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0195385284
• ISBN 13: 9780195385281
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 384